Is the IPIP-NEO-120 free to take?

Yes. The IPIP-NEO-120 is in the public domain, John A. Johnson and the IPIP team explicitly state on ipip.ori.org that anyone can use any IPIP scale for any purpose, including commercial products, without permission. JobCannon runs the test free with no signup and no paywall on the basic OCEAN result. The premium upsell shown after the result is optional.

How is IPIP-NEO-120 different from the regular Big Five-50 test?

Both measure the same 5 OCEAN traits using the same public-domain IPIP item pool, but at different depths. The Big Five-50 uses 10 items per trait for a solid trait-level read (~4 min). The IPIP-NEO-120 uses 24 items per trait across 6 sub-facets for a much more granular profile (~8 min). If you want to know not just that you're high in Conscientiousness but whether that's Orderliness, Achievement Striving, or Dutifulness, take the 120.

What are the 30 facets measured?

Each of the 5 OCEAN domains has 6 facets. Neuroticism: Anxiety, Anger, Depression, Self-Consciousness, Immoderation, Vulnerability. Extraversion: Friendliness, Gregariousness, Assertiveness, Activity Level, Excitement-Seeking, Cheerfulness. Openness: Imagination, Artistic Interests, Emotionality, Adventurousness, Intellect, Liberalism. Agreeableness: Trust, Morality, Altruism, Cooperation, Modesty, Sympathy. Conscientiousness: Self-Efficacy, Orderliness, Dutifulness, Achievement Striving, Self-Discipline, Cautiousness.

Who created the IPIP-NEO-120?

John A. Johnson at Pennsylvania State University DuBois. He developed the 120-item version as a shorter, public-domain alternative to Costa and McCrae's 240-item NEO-PI-R. The instrument was published in 2014 in the Journal of Research in Personality (vol. 51, pp. 78–89). The items are drawn from Lewis Goldberg's International Personality Item Pool (ipip.ori.org), which has been in the public domain since 1999.

How accurate is the IPIP-NEO-120?

Very accurate for a free, self-report instrument. Johnson (2014) reports internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of 0.73–0.90 across the 30 facets, and facet-level convergent validity correlations with the NEO-PI-R ranging from 0.63 to 0.89. It's significantly more precise than a 10 or 50-item measure because each facet has 4 dedicated items. For research-grade precision, the full 240-item NEO-PI-R is the more thorough instrument, but the 120 is a freely available alternative.

PersonalityResearch-grade· IPIP-NEO-120

Free IPIP-NEO-120, Deep Big Five Test, 30 Facets in 8 Minutes

The IPIP-NEO-120 gives you the most detailed free Big Five personality profile available, 120 public-domain items measuring all 5 OCEAN domains across 30 sub-facets (6 per trait). Developed by John A. Johnson (2014) as a public-domain representation of the NEO-PI-R. Free, no signup, instant percentile profile.

No signup8 min

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The basics

What is the IPIP-NEO-120 test?

The IPIP-NEO-120 is a 120-item public-domain personality inventory designed by John A. Johnson (2014) to measure the thirty facets of the Five-Factor Model (Big Five). Each of the five OCEAN domains, Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, is assessed through six sub-facets, each measured by four items on a 5-point Likert scale from 'Very Inaccurate' to 'Very Accurate'. The result is a rich, facet-level OCEAN profile that goes far beyond a broad trait score.

Keep reading

Johnson published the instrument in the Journal of Research in Personality (2014, vol. 51, pp. 78–89) as a shorter, freely available alternative to the commercial 240-item NEO-PI-R. The IPIP-NEO-120 is hosted on the International Personality Item Pool (ipip.ori.org) and is explicitly placed in the public domain, free for any use, commercial or academic, with no permission required. The 30 facets map directly onto Costa & McCrae's original NEO-PI-R facet structure.

Use the IPIP-NEO-120 when you want the full picture. Where the Big Five-50 gives you a trait-level read, the IPIP-NEO-120 shows you the facets underneath, for example, whether your high Neuroticism is driven by Anxiety, Anger, or Vulnerability, or whether your Conscientiousness comes from Achievement Striving vs. Orderliness. That distinction matters for career fit, coaching, and self-awareness.

Closely related

What you get

What You'll Discover

Your Big Five OCEAN profile at facet level, 30 sub-scores across all 5 traits, not just broad averages

Percentile scores on all 5 domains: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism

The 6 facets inside each trait, e.g. whether your Extraversion is Assertiveness, Cheerfulness, or Activity Level

Career fit insights anchored to your dominant facet pattern, not just your top OCEAN trait

A peer-reviewed instrument used in thousands of academic studies, a free alternative to the NEO-PI-R

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